


Hello, Victoria

by Smokeycut



Series: Brucetober [3]
Category: Batman - Fandom
Genre: Coming Out, Goodbyes, Implied Bruce/Victoria
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-24 12:03:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13213371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Smokeycut/pseuds/Smokeycut
Summary: The last time they saw each other before Victoria left Gotham, she confessed something to Bruce. She confessed the truth about who she is, and who she wants to be.





	Hello, Victoria

**Author's Note:**

> An anon on tumblr requested a quick coming out scene between Bruce and Victoria, and I thought it'd be a nice way to end the year. Hope you enjoy!

“Batman?”

“Hm? What is it?” He turned his head back, just enough to see the doctor out of the corner of his eye. He was crouching in the open sill, the rain beating down heavy outside, and against his body.

He was young, they both were. Early in their careers. The hero just two years into his vocation and the doctor just barely out of school. Too young to fully understand the paths their lives would take, but just beginning down the trails. Two trails that were about to diverge for many years.

“Before you go, and well, before I go… I want to tell you something. I need to tell you something.” The doctor shoved their hands into the pocket of their hoodie and shuffled awkwardly.

“Is it about this sewer monster case?” He asked, curious. “Killer Croc?”

“No, no, not that. It’s a fair bit more personal, I suppose. I don’t really know how to put it.”

Batman said nothing, just waited. He didn’t like when people danced around a subject, never did. He rarely had that problem with the doctor, but if it was in fact a personal matter… he could think of a few possibilities. Things he had picked up over their time working together. A romantic attraction to him, perhaps. Or maybe an admission that the doctor knew who he was. He had never revealed that to anyone yet, but he figured that a few had it figured out. Gordon must have, for starters. Whatever it was, he doubted it would phase him much.

“I have thought on this for some time now, and since I shall be leaving Gotham in the near future, I doubt I’ll be working with you again for quite some time. At least, not in person, that is. As such, I’d like to confide in you, tell you something I have yet to tell anyone else. Ever since I was young, I-I…”

The doctor faltered, and looked at the carpet, which was quickly gathering droplets of rain.

“I’m transgender.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Probably should have started with that, huh? Better than dancing around it.” She looked up at him, fearing the negative reaction that she had imagined countless times. She had never tested the waters with him before, never known what to expect. For all she knew he could be some rightwing blowhard with a devout hatred of people like her.

But she didn’t see a scowl, or any trace of bigoted fury. No disgust, no shame, and he didn’t leave, either. More than anything, she had expected him to just vanish. But he stayed, and his face softened in a way she had never seen before. Compassion, not anger. The thing she had hoped for, but doubted she would get.

“Would you like to talk about it?” He asked. He was awkward about it, that was for certain. But then again, what else could he say? That he was sorry for her? That he wished he could alter reality and give her the life and body she wanted? No, his words, awkward as they may have been, were the best ones he could have picked.

And they made her laugh, so there was that. She found herself smiling at him, and found tears welling up in her eyes. A weight had lifted off her chest, the first of many, and she finally felt like she could breath. After 25 years, she finally felt like she wasn’t caged up anymore.

“I think I’d rather just get a hug, if that’s alright with you,” she said, wiping the tears away. He nodded, and slipped back inside the room. He crossed over to where she stood and wrapped his arms around her gently.

“If it’s alright that I ask, who will Happy Harbor be getting to know you as?”

“Victoria. Victoria October.” She pulled out of the hug and covered her mouth with her hand, smiling beneath it. “Too much?”

“No. It sounds perfect.” He offered her a reassuring smile, but was distracted by a beeping signal on his utility belt. “Ah, sorry, I should…”

“It’s alright. Go on ahead, big guy, save the day. Just… thank you. For being so receptive. It means more to me than I can put into words.”

“Of course. You’re my friend, Victoria. I don’t have many, and, well… I want my friends to be in the best places that they can be. If there’s ever anything you need, just let me know. I’ll keep in touch. And if you ever come back to Gotham, I’ll be happy to see the woman you are.”

“Farewell, then. Until we meet again.”

“Mhm.”

The next time they saw each other, well over a decade later, he could’t help but smile upon seeing her true self. And she couldn’t help but crack a few bad jokes about the situation herself.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to comment!


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